Why I don't do HOW-TO posts about writing

As you may know from perusing my blog, posts about how to write are scarce if at all existent. You might ask why this is? I thought I would take this opportunity to explain to you why. First, there is no hard and fast rule for writing. Uh, wait. That's not true. Okay, there is at least one hard and fast rule about writing. Want to know what it is?

Okay, here it is:


I know, I know. There, there. Don't feel like I was being mean. That wasn't my intention. I was just being frank. It's the truth. It's as plain and simple as that. If you've come here looking for inspiration, then I apologize if you can't get it from my blog posts. Really, I do. I once subscribed to several author blogs, hoping to glean bits of wisdom and motivation to help me finish a book. More often, I spent most of my time reading someone else telling me that little piece of advice rather than putting it into practice. Essentially, I was procrastinating and looking for commiseration from other writers.



Secondly, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of writers out there eagerly willing to dispense with writerly advice about writing. Not only on blogs, but in videos as well. Just check out the Youtubes. Instead of tossing my two cents into the advice ocean, I choose to spend my time writing, or doing any one of my other hobbies like photography, mask making, guitar playing, and learning math and science (which, both, exercise my tired old brain enough).



Thirdly, I see much of that advice as mechanism to enable procrastination. Much of it is long in the tooth, comforting a person about their procrastination (because, truth is, we all procrastinate) while patting them on the back and delivering a pep-talk. Let's face facts. If you truly want to exorcise that book from within you, you'll sit your ass in the chair and do it. Don't wait for someone to blow sweet sugary smoke up your ass. Just DO IT!

When I first sat down to write a book, I had read Stephen King's On Writing. That book was a motivational machine that got me psyched and ready to write. I followed his advice (the best I could) and sat down everyday to bang out my thousand words. Some days, the words flowed like water over Niagara Falls; other days, I was like a cranky old man with an enlarged prostrate, trying like hell to squeeze a few drops. In those instances, I would vow to make up the difference on another day, thus rolling my deficit forward to be paid later. That amounted to amassing a large snowball of words waiting for me to dispense like an avalanche. But, here's the deal: I did it! After about three months, I had my first draft complete. It was roughly 90,000 words. Unfortunately, I still haven't polished that turd into something publishable, but I learned a hell of a lot from the experience, not least of which was the discipline to sit down and power through the difficult days. Neither, did I let writer's block stop me. Since that time, if I've hit a snag, I set the work aside and worked on another story. Kind of like knitting several different scarves, all of which are various lengths. Eventually, I get them all finished and released.

Fourthly, the reason I don't like to dispense writing advice is because it's like doling out financial or legal advice. It's not a one-size-fits-all task. I may not write like Stephen King and you may not write like me or Stephen King. Everyone gets to the finish line in their own way. You might like writing a hundred words a day instead of a thousand. Some writers are content to bang out a book in a month or (please!) even a week. On the other hand, I like to take my time, honing it and polishing it until it's the best I can make it. Then there are those who are content to just proselytize the desire to write a book and never set out on the journey. You may be one of the latter. In that case, my advice is all for naught. I could've best used my time to work on my own writing. Who knows?

Lastly, I don't consider myself any kind of authority on the process of writing. I don't hold an MFA or any other credentials for that matter. I'm just a guy who has written. I don't even have a huge audience (maybe not even a small audience, who knows?), but I have written. Sure, I need motivation from time to time, so I visit writers' blogs to help get me in the mood. I've whittled the list of blogs I read down though. Instead, I now consult only one or two, and sometimes, not even for motivation, but to learn some new marketing strategies (btw, if you're a marketing genius and have some tips to help me increase sales, shoot me an email). If you're hell bent on reading author's blogs to help kick your muse in the ass so he/she will sprinkle that magic dust, then I recommend subscribing to an author who tells it like it is and one you can relate to. For me, that's Chuck Wendig's blog, Terrible Minds. Chuck shoots straight without sugar coating his advice and he speaks candidly, which really appeals to me. Be forewarned, he's profane (probably why I like it).

So, if it's warm and cozy writer hugs you're looking for here, I apologize. Please, if you really want to write that book, take my one bit of advice mentioned above. That's really all you need. Thanks for stopping by!

Buy One, Get One Free!

I decided to give book readers a special early Valentine, a buy one, get one free offer. Beginning today, if you purchase either An Adverse Anthology or Majoring in Murder, (digital versions only) you will find a special promotional code in the book that allows you to purchase the other novel for free. That's right, FREE!

This is my thank-you to my readers and potential future readers for picking my books from the multitudes of choices out there. As a reader myself, I realize many people appreciate a good deal. Someone suggested I add a bonus short story, but that didn't seem very appealing to me. Any author can throw in a short story that's lying around. Instead, I decided to give the reader something bigger and better, another whole book.

The offer is valid from now until February first next year (Expires 2/1/2014). Again, simply purchase either An Adverse Anthology or Majoring in Murder (digital versions only). The free coupon code for the other book is at the end of each story. All you have to do is enter the code during checkout to get the book absolutely free.

But wait, there's more! Act now and I'll throw in a complimentary set of steak knives capable of cutting through Titanium and remaining sharp enough to slice through this tomato! Okay, just kidding about the knives. But, seriously, I understand there are some cunning people out there who might purchase the first book, download the second, and post both coupon codes to the interwebs so all their friends can get two books for free. After all, the coupon idea I came up with isn't foolproof. So, I encourage you to share this offer with friends and family (hopefully, you'll enjoy the stories, tell them, and they'll at least buy one copy), thus helping me spread the word. However, if you insist on undermining my super-fancy security, then so be it. All I ask is this: please, if you download the book(s) and read them, return to where you got them and leave an honest review. Reviews are the only feedback I get from my readers. I always enjoy hearing what you think of my work, even if it is critical.

So, what are you waiting for? Go get your free book. I hope you enjoy them! And, remember, please leave a review when you're finished reading. Thanks for stopping by.

Getting my knowledge on!

When I was younger, I didn't care for learning mundane school subjects. I didn't care for Literature because I hated reading the things my teachers wanted me to read; they always seemed stuffy and non-entertaining. And I didn't even want to consider math. Word problems only gave me headaches. If Bobby had 12 red apples and someone gave him 5 green apples, how many apples would Bobby have? My answer: too many damn apples. Math became nonsensical to me after basic arithmetic. Who's bright idea was it to toss in the alphabet?!

I managed to squeak by Algebra and, surprisingly, did very well in Geometry. I guess, because it was mainly remembering postulates and theorems. I left Geometry with a final grade of 104--sweet! I still needed another math credit to graduate high school, so I ended up taking Business Math, which was essentially learning how to balance a checkbook and other practical shit. Yeah, back then, I thought I was cool.

In retrospect, I realize I was a naive dumbass. It wasn't until I was in the Army that I finally began to understand the value of education. The Army taught me how to teach myself. I was fortunate enough to score well on the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery), which opened up the spectrum of military jobs I could choose from. I was initially going to become an infantryman, but my dad curtailed that by asking, "What are you going to do when you get out?" and then answering his question with: "There's not a big demand for killing people." So, I chose to repair helicopter engines, although, I had never worked on any kind of engine in my life. With no previous exposure to draw upon, my education for that particular job was a true learning experience.

I managed to graduate engine repair school and worked as a helicopter mechanic during my service. Luckily, every helicopter I worked on flew successfully, which is even more lucky considering I was required to fly with the test pilot after major overhauls. When I was discharged, I floundered in several menial jobs. I really wanted to be a fireman, but didn't know how to go about getting my foot in the door. The best thing I could think to do to minimize my odds was to enroll in technical school to become an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician); another field I knew nothing about.

Unlike my classmates, I paid for the education out of my own pocket. I hadn't occurred to me to apply for any grants and/or scholarships. Since I didn't have much money and paid the tuition out of my own pocket, that was just an added incentive for me to buckle down and do well. My class started with somewhere around 30+ students. Many washed out quickly. I studied harder so as not to piss away my money. Fortunately, I graduated with about 12 others (only about 7 of us went on to become state certified). I eventually got a job with an ambulance service, and not too long after that, I finally became a fireman at a local station.

I had realized a major goal early in my life. Eventually, however, the stress and low pay (can you believe the salary was only $18.6/year?!) took its toll on me. I knew I had to get into another line of work. During a Sunday shift, I sat down in the station's kitchen and looked through the classifieds. I had composed a list of the qualities I wanted in a career; it was numerous. I began going through the job listings, first the As, then the Bs, etc. I compared whatever I knew about each job against my list of criteria. What really caught my attention were the salaries for Programmers. I didn't know shit about computers, not to mention, programming, but those guys were making some serious bank. In contrast to my paltry salary, they were rich! I decided that was what I wanted to do.

Since I didn't know where to begin, I knew I needed to talk to people more knowledgeable in order to find out what I should learn and how to transition into this new field. First, my father-in-law donated his old 286 computer to me. Second, I went to the local bookstore and browsed through the various programming books. I had no idea what made VB different from C or Pascal different from the rest. I remembered that there were a LOT of jobs listings for C programmers and...man, those salaries! I ended up buying a book to learn the C programming language. Later, I learned that I had chosen the more difficult of the languages as my first. However, I persevered and, within a year's time, I was writing small programs. Of course, these were not overly complex, and it took much trial and error, but I managed to learn the fundamentals. It was time to start circulating my resume.

Obviously, I simplified the aforementioned process of my learning to program. I studied for several hours every night when I arrived home from work, and read chapters of my (many) books during my lunch breaks at the jobs I had after leaving the fire department. But, I did manage to bridge the gap and transition into a career programming computers. I won't bore you with those details. Suffice it to say, that I have been doing it since 1995. During that time, I've continued to stay abreast of the latest technology by reading books on those subjects. But, that isn't what prompted me to write this post. Recently, I've become interested in learning things I neglected in my youth.

Since math and I have never gotten along well, (with encouragement from my friend Mark Mans) I decided to try learning advanced math. Just like when I started learning to program computers, I have my sights high: to understanding advanced Calculus. Of course, I'm not delusional. I know that's a huge undertaking and I won't get there in a year's time, and probably not in two years. So, instead, I've gone back to the beginning and started brushing up on arithmetic and pre-Algebra. I plan to become proficient in each discipline until I can progress to the next, and then, the next. I've purchased several math books from Barnes & Noble and am nearly finished with the pre-Algebra book. It's exciting to finally comprehend the things in school that gave me such headaches long ago. Now, we're at the crux of this post.

While I've been good about studying fairly regularly on my own using the books, there was still something lacking. Recently, I discovered the Khan Academy website. There, anyone can create a free online account and learn a wide array of subjects using their instructional videos. Of course, I jumped right into the math disciplines. The videos are beneficial for helping to simplify difficult concepts. If you enjoy receiving rewards to fuel your motivation (as I do), there is an achievements section in your profile to view badges you obtain when you reach certain milestones. In the past three days, since stumbling onto this website, I've spent somewhere between ten and fifteen hours watching videos and practicing lessons. I've discovered the fun in math. Math can be sexy!

I know those last two statements probably sound weird, especially if you don't really care for math. Many people don't like math. I can understand. Heck, I used to be one of those people! Time has changed my opinion, though. I don't intend to change careers by becoming more proficient in math, but I sure don't see how it can hurt to broaden my knowledge. So, if you're interested in learning math (or, science, humanities, etc.), but don't see yourself going back to school, then try it for yourself. After all, it's free, so why not give it a try.

As for my writing, if you came here hoping to learn of my status, then I won't disappoint you. I've recently been busy editing a Southern Gothic novel called Lathem's Lament, which I wrote several years ago and put in a drawer. My wife has been asking me about it, so I decided to take it out and finish it. Currently, it's being read by my beta readers. Stay tuned to learn more about it and when it will be released. And, as always, thanks for stopping by!

Defining a genre: Horror

When I began writing, I wrote what I loved to read: horror stories. My biggest inspiration, which probably sounds cliche, was Stephen King's work. I, like many people, read his books and came away from them feeling that "I can do that, too!" So, I began my writing career by spinning tales of horror. Needless to say, my writing is by no means on par with Stephen King's! He makes writing look easy, but it's not. And, I see I've already digressed.

I say that I wrote horror, but, in retrospect, I wouldn't really categorize many of those first stories as horror. Not in the truest since of the meaning, anyway. Now, I like to think of them as psychological thrillers or noir. You might be wondering why I would make that claim. That's what I want to discuss in this blog post and, hopefully, illustrate.

Stephen King is revered as the King of Horror [nice pun, too], but I wouldn't even classify much of his writing as truly horrific. Sure, his stories elicit an emotional response--typically a strong negative emotion--as all writing is wont to do, but I wouldn't say that they are mainly horror by nature. At least, not according to the definition of the genre. As Wikipedia describes it:

"Horror fiction, Horror Literature and also Horror fantasy is a genre of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, scare or startle viewers/readers by inducing feelings of horror and terror."

That last part, about feelings of horror and terror, to me at least, is a strong statement. Of course, others may disagree because we all have varying thresholds for fear. For instance, in my short story, Hush, Hush, My Love, the main character is talking to a woman he has just finished copulating with. Throughout the monologue, she never says a word. Later, I reveal that she is dead and the man has been engaging in necrophilia. While this is certainly a taboo, it (again, to me) is not horrific. Repulsive maybe, sure. I classified this story under horror, not because of the necrophilia, but because her lifeless corpse reanimates and kills him in the final chapter.

I have other stories that I assembled into an anthology that many readers may label as horror. While I agree that some of them border on horror (When the Dead Whisper and Jason's Last Wish, for example) because they center around ghosts and/or supernatural phenomena, I also claim that many of them are not. I don't feel that they "cause the reader to react with fear" as the definition states. As examples, I would refer you to The Show Must Go On, about a death row inmate's exercise in introspection before his impending execution; Footprints in the Snow, is about a young man who undergoes a strange and life-changing experience on a snowy rural road; and Sweet Charlotte, which is about a special little girl who is caught in a predator's web. I would argue that these are simply dark stories meant to stimulate the reader's mind as well as entertain.

Also, it seems to me that the horror genre has gone through quite a change in recent decades. Perhaps this is due to the influx of so many sub-genres. I will admit, I am not a fan of zombie books (although, I do love to watch The Walking Dead). I think vampire stories have appeared ad nauseum. And, the worst, are graphic stories (labeled horror) that do nothing more than gross out the reader.

Again, all of this may just be my opinion. However, I enjoy a horror tale with a slow build of events that ratchet up the creepy tension. I also enjoy hints as to what is lurking in the shadows or under the bed, instead of fully seeing the creature at the beginning. The lack of description up front allows the reader to conjure his/her own fearful being. To me, the scariest stories are those that can actually happen. I don't believe in ghosts, but a mentally unstable person with a sling blade sneaking into my house would scare the hell out of me!

If, on the other hand, a story is about a bunch of mutated hillbillies who eat unsuspecting campers, or sparkly vampires (*facepalm*), or just a lot of blood splatter to elicit shock, then I don't consider them horror. But, again, that's just me. I've worked as a firefighter and EMT, so gore-porn isn't for me. I've seen real life atrocities up close and personal. As a coping mechanism, I learned to desensitize myself to it like many others in that profession. I think Stephen King summed up the gross-out best:

"I recognize terror as the finest emotion and so I will try to terrorize the reader. But if I find that I cannot terrify, I will try to horrify, and if I find that I cannot horrify, I'll go for the gross-out. I'm not proud."

The most enticing horror stories are those that successfully break new ground in an already well-mined field, with new creatures and situations. Not rehashing the same old tropes we've read time and again.

So, what do you consider horror? I'd like to hear your opinion about what makes a story horrific. You can sound of in the comments below. Thanks for stopping by!

What happened to quality?

I apologize for not posting in a while. Truthfully, I got caught up in some other hobbies and neglected the blog. Also, I will warn you know, this blog post has nothing to do with my writing, but instead, something I've had happen recently that left me sour.

I typically try not to use my blog as a soapbox for anything negative. However, recently, I have had to buy many new pairs of blue jeans. In the past, I was a fan of Levi's brand jeans. In the past six months, I've had about five to six pairs malfunction--I know that doesn't sound appropriate for describing a garment, but believe me, it is in these cases.

The defects seem to be typical, from what I can tell by conducting an Internet search. Either the zippers split and become useless, the belt loops break loose, or the crotch rips out. There also seems to be a problem with holes forming from the upper corners of the pockets, but I personally have not experienced this. All of the aforementioned problem did happen to me!

At first, two belt loops broke free on a pair of my jeans. The second incident occurred at work when I went to the restroom and the zipper split open. I replaced those jeans with new Levi's, this time, opting for button-fly. When the crotch ripped out and more belt loops tore off, I sat down and wrote a letter to the company. After all, this tactic seemed to work when we exercised it in grammar school. I received a reply back from their Quality Control department asking me to return the jeans (I think it was a maximum of three pairs) so they could determine whether the defect was due to faulty construction or natural wear and tear. Apparently, I was supposed to send my jeans on my own dime. Instead of that route, I threw them away and bought two more pair. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment, but I actually convinced myself that I just got a defective batch or something.

When the crotch of one of these next pair ripped at work as I was getting into my Jeep for lunch, I knew something was drastically wrong with the quality of Levi's jeans. In the past, Levi's were billed as strong and durable. It was a reputation cemented in years of proof. However, when a pair less than six months old rips as I am getting into my vehicle, then something is WRONG! Maybe one could argue that there was significant wear and tear from my job. But, that doesn't hold water when you consider that I sit at a desk all day long. Not to mention, I come home and sit on the sofa. The most strenuous activity my jeans see is me putting them or taking them off.

So, last weekend, while visiting my friend, I went shopping for new jeans. This time, I bought two pairs of Lee jeans ($30 a pair) and one pair of Sears's brand, Roebuck and Co. ($15 a pair--there was a sale). Compared to the Levi's, which were $45-50 a pair, the Lee and Roebucks are a hell of a deal. While it's too early to tell how durable my new jeans are, I can assure you that they are quite comfortable.

The reputation Levi's once had is quickly deteriorating, much like the jeans themselves as these links will indicate. It's sad that a company with a once great product would sacrifice their reputation to save a little bit of money by moving production to other countries just to save a few bucks in production. In the end, I think it will be a costly mistake for them and I predict that if they don't do something to save their image, they too, may go the way of the Twinkie!

Just in time for Halloween!

Halloween is nearly hear, so I decided to publish some of the short stories from my anthology. I didn't want to publish all of them in the collection. If I did that, what would be the point of buying the anthology? Since there are eight shorts in the collection, I said I would publish four of them...well, kind of.

One of those short stories has been available for some time, long before the anthology. Anyone who has been following my track record knows that tale is Hush, Hush, My Love, which is one of my favorites for several reasons. The other three that I've selected are: Footprints in the Snow, Jason's Last Wish, and Sweet Charlotte.

The reason for this is simple. I wanted to offer readers, who hadn't heard of me, a chance to sample some of my work. What better than to offer up some of my strange and disturbing short stories in time for Halloween? Of course, chances are, if you're reading this blog, you've already heard of me and probably read some of my work. If that's the case, perhaps you'll do me a solid and introduce someone new to my work. Start with baby steps. Tell them they can purchase the short stories as a trial to see if they like my writing. I'd appreciate it. Below are links to the various distributors where my stories are for sale. Thanks for stopping by!

Footprints in the Snow at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

Jason's Last Wish at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

Sweet Charlotte at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

Finally, falling into place

I know it's been a while since my last post and I apologize. As you may know, I wasn't up to blogging, much less, writing. I reported that I was floundering on my writing projects, unable to settle on a specific story and stick with it. Luckily, that's over. Not only have I settled into one story, but I am currently working on two! Yes, you read that correctly.

One of the stories I am currently working on is a young adult Halloween tale in the spirit of Ray Bradbury and Clive Barker. The other is a psychological horror story in the same vein as Hush, Hush, My Love. I'm very excited about both of these stories and work at them fervently.

In addition to this news, I have some more good news. Friday, I ordered a Schecter Hellraiser Special electric guitar, which should arrive on Tuesday. I have two bass guitars and have been tinkering with playing bass for several years. Honestly, I'd say I'm fair at playing the bass. I've owned two electric six-string guitars in the past, but never for very long before I got rid of them. The first (a cheap little Squire), was sold not long after I got it (thanks to my now-ex-wife), and the second (a pretty blue Ibanez) ended up going to my son after he expressed an interest in wanting to learn to play. Now that I can afford to, I've decided to buy myself a nice guitar so I can learn to play. Whenever I think about it, I get super excited about the prospect.

That about covers what's been going on with me since my last post; well, the interesting stuff anyway. I hope to deliver more good news later regarding my newest writing. In the meantime, I'll leave you with a couple of videos that demonstrate the sound of this sweet guitar I bought. Thanks for stopping by; I hope you enjoyed your visit.